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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It’s the season of giving — why not give yourself the gift of space? We’re fully into the holiday season now, a time of celebration, and a chance to catch some great sales. So, how do you avoid overwhelming limited storage capacity when bringing new stuff into the home? Here are some practical and charitable ways to be a little lighter and brighter this holiday season.
Closets & Clothing

Establish a rule that when a new coat, shirt, or pair of shoes comes into the house, an old one must go in the give-away pile.

The wintertime is sock-time–go through the sock drawer. Look for those with holes or without a match, or those that never fit right, and get rid of them.

Instead of taking the sweaters from off-season storage and squeezing them into the closet, take a moment to look through them. Some are likely well-worn or ill-fitting, or haven’t made it off the shelf in years. Those can go into the give-away pile, leaving more room in the closet for the ones you enjoy wearing.

Once everything has been sorted through, take stock of what you have and need. Do you need more or less sock storage—maybe sweaters can be hung on pant hangers instead of folded on shelves (or visa versa). Bins and baskets can be great ways to store socks or gloves, hats, and scarves as well. If a total closet make-over is needed, you can call a professional closet designer to develop a tailored solution.

Coat Closet & Outerwear

Take a serious look through the coat closet. Which of the coats never got worn last year? Probably it never fit right, or is just not your style. Put it in the giveaway pile.

Sort through the winter-wear drawer. Most people have more hats, gloves, and scarves than they wear. If your favorite style gloves are worn out, now is the time to buy a new pair, before the stores are out of stock. This way, you can also find room for that gorgeous new scarf.

Look through the winter shoes, boots, slippers, booties. Again, now is the time to replace that worn out favorite style with something new that you love, and will wear all winter.

The winter shoes often get stored near the door in a pile. Consider the possibilities of a mud room with customized shoe storage. Once the snow starts falling, this could also accommodate the wet coats, hats and gloves.

Charities & Giving

Take a look at the give-away pile and smile! This is all stuff that cluttered your space. If you take it away, you can find the clothes you love, and buy replacements for worn out favorites without worrying about where to put them.

Best of all, there are so many charities that can take away your give-away items. There are veteran’s organizations, coat drives for the homeless, clothing drives for kids in need. You can clear your space and help people – a very good result.

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Tips For Organizing Your Closets

Our closets start out organized—what happens? We forget to sort through our stuff as we buy more, for one thing. And as we use them, we put things back in a hurry, and our closets get messy.
There are techniques and strategies to keeping a closet organized over time. These are a few of our tried and true best recommendations to tame your linen or clothing closets.

Linen Closet Organization:

Rule of Three: Sheets per bed, towels/hand towels/wash cloths per person. This provides one in use, one in the wash, and one in the closet.

Guest items: One or two is sufficient (sheets, towels, etc).

Group items either by type (queen sheets) or by room (bath #1).

Bulky items like quilts or pillows can be stored in compression sacks (vacuum activated) to stay fresh and condensed.

Seasonal items like holiday tablecloths and beach towels should be stored on high or low shelves. Slide out shelves work well for table mats and cloths, baskets and bins can neatly hold napkins and rings.

Resist the temptation to buy linens on sale without giving away an old set. It will keep all the linens looking uniform and will keep the allocated space from creeping into other areas.

Linens get musty when there’s not enough air circulation. Be sure to leave room around and above the stacked linens. If needed, a simple open baking soda container will remove any odors and keep the closet fresh.

Clothing Closet Organization:

Group clothing by length, type or purpose: Business clothing can be in a single section, with pants and shorter skirts hung together. Men’s or women’s suits can be grouped with color coordinated shirts, or outfits can be hung together. Install a tie rack or belt rack nearby, and your outfit is almost complete. The goal is to be able to glance into the closet, pick out your outfit, and go about your busy day.

Put away Dry Cleaning: When the drying cleaning comes home, it often gets hung on a valet rod or hook., and gets used as needed. This creates a bulky obstruction in the closet, and empty bags and hangers. A better technique is to take five minutes right when the clothes are brought into the closet. Quickly remove the bags and hang everything on proper hangers, in the area you’ll look for them. Recycle or dispose of the bags, and return the wire hangers to the dry cleaner.

Arrange seasonally: Even if you don’t have off-season storage, there are ways to remove those items from view. Create a zone for the clothes, in a less accessible part of the closet. Use a high shelf for boots or sandals, bins or baskets for smaller items. You’ll get in the habit of not looking at the off-season area, and will have a selection of seasonally appropriate items in your main area.

Organize folded clothing by type and color: How often are you looking for a blue tee shirt, or a workout top, and can’t find the one you want? Pick part of a shelf for shorts or sleeveless tees, for exercise gear or lounge wear. You’ll be able to find what you need every time, without wasted time and frustration.

Shoe storage: In addition to the designated area for off-season shoes, it is useful to set aside less used shoes. If space allows, store these in labeled plastic bins or shoe boxes high or low in the closet. If not, try to store them in another closet or under the bed. This method should free up space for frequently worn items. Grouping business shoes near the business clothing is optimal, like sneakers with the gym clothes and shorts.

We want to make room to buy new things, and we want to keep our closets organized and neat. By using the tactics above, we truly can have it all! Just remember when it’s time to make the seasonal clothing changeover, look through the clothes. See whether anything is stained or getting tattered and get discard it. So much stuff can be given away, to have a second life with those who need it more.

Symmetry Closets Recognized: Best of HOUZZ 2016

SYMMETRY CLOSETS of NY Awarded Best Of Houzz 2016

Over 35 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World

January 29, 2016
Announcing The “Best Of Houzz 2016″ Award Winners
The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 35 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2015. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2016″ badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

“We are thrilled to receive this prestigious recognition of our commitment to design excellence and customer service,”

said Bonnie Reich, President, SYMMETRY CLOSETS

“We’re honored that our design-loving friends and clients voted for us—and we look forward to enjoying another beautiful year together.”

“Anyone building, remodeling or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionals” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We’re so pleased to recognize SYMMETRY CLOSETS, voted one of our “Best Of Houzz” professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

Ring In The New Year

It’s that time of year—the Holidays are here! Around the edges of the holiday bustle, the good times with family and friends, there are usually also the moments of quiet introspection—of being “in the moment.” It’s a good time to take stock of all the experiences we’ve had this year, and what we envision for the new one.
The reflective nature of the holidays is encouraged by all the lights and shiny décor we embrace to brighten the long nights and short days around the Winter Solstice. From the twinkling lights to the mercury glass candlesticks, to the ornaments on the tree and hearth, to the fireplace itself—we seek out light and good cheer. As the holidays wind on down it’s a wonderful opportunity to take the time, and make space for you.
It can be as small as scheduling ten minutes a day to breathe or meditate. Or perhaps spending an hour reading a book, or taking a walk one morning a week in the woods or beach with your dog/child/favorite sibling….
Space for yourself can be larger, too. It can manifest as breakfast in bed, a nice bubble bath, or someone helping you clean out the basement/garage/closet/or that drawer in the kitchen. Some people would request a room of their own—to write, work out, do crafts, sew or knit, watch sports—the possibilities are truly limitless and fully customizable! Let’s make this year one of fulfillment, in which we get to enjoy achieving our goals. Let’s also make this a year in which we get some of those essential moments to take a breath, sit back and gain some perspective.
So in the spirit of acknowledging all the different ways to be reflective this time of year—we wish everyone a Joyous Solstice, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, a Delightful Kwanzaa, and a Healthy, Prosperous New Year.

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How to Play with Color and Texture

Every year, the design community selects a color of the year for décor, and for fashion. This year, it’s Marsala! The rich ruby color is everywhere—from fashion runways to accessories. If you work with an interior designer, they’ll have the colors and styles factored into their unique design for your space. When we partner with designers, they help select the paint colors that will illuminate your rooms, and also the coordinating wallpaper, fabric textures and closet color to enhance your experience of your spaces.
When it comes to storage design, we can customize that to almost any use. For visual impact, the key factors are shown well in the handsome Long Island office shown to the right.
There’s a dramatic contrast between the white cabinets and the limited use of the stunning wall color. The strong linear impact of the door/drawer pulls and the curvy wallpaper pattern make for a highly functional and beautiful working space.

The complementary colors are chosen to pair well with Marsala. As you can see in the selection below, these can be utilized to modulate the dominant color, or can be simply used on their own.

We’ve designed closets to complement these shades in many contexts. Pantries are an area truly designed for “tasty” colors. Whether it’s an open or closed door space, it’s an opportunity for a fun shot of color—in a way that doesn’t require the commitment of a whole room.

Another color-friendly space for those new to color is the children’s closets. These are fantastic spaces for a touch of whimsy—and given a little time, the kids will grow into a new space anyway. You can design these to your colorful heart’s content!

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OUR FEATURED DESIGNER
Anne Marie Virgilio, Interiors by Anne Marie

How Symmetry Closets and Anne Marie Virgilio Began a Design Collaboration:

Anne Marie met us at Symmetry Closets through The Interior Design Society, Long Island Chapter, about two years ago – she was looking for custom closet design services to pair with her interior design projects. Since we’re both part of the same design-focused trade group, we work well together–it was a perfect fit. We originally met at a local IDS meeting – she had a project with Symmetry Closets in mind. Anne Marie met with one of our closet designers at her project site, where we worked out the design concept with her and developed plans and 3D renderings to discuss with the client. We’ve collaborated on several projects since.

About Anne Marie

Anne Marie Virgilio, of Interiors by Anne Marie, has established a reputation among her clients for her timeless and sophisticated interior design for the home. Anne Marie has a talent of combining classic style with modern elegance. Her vast experience in the study of color is evident throughout her design schemes and wide range of interior design services.

With over 2 decades of experience, Anne Marie takes the time to listen to what her clients’ needs are and is able to implement their vision into a dream come true. She oversees every aspect of the project and takes her client from inspiration to installation. Interiors by Anne Marie is a full-service design firm. Anne Marie is an associate member of the Interior Design Society.

INTERIORS BY ANNE MARIE

OUR FIRST FEATURED PROJECT-Playful and Practical

Photography by Nicole Larson

The Kids Room-Converts to Home Entertainment Concept

This family has young children who required a centralized play space. We repurposed this area, between the living room & kitchen, to become a beautiful kids room, with toy storage space—with the ability to quickly put away toys behind doors and in drawers, and still stay organized. There’s a window seat, shelving for toys and books, and more. All with elegant shaker style cabinets and crown molding.

Children Grow Up So Fast

Of course, one day soon the children will no longer need this play space next to the family room & kitchen. What then? Anne Marie commissioned the proportions of the shorter wall unit to be a suitable future buffet and dry bar area. A simple change-out of the playful knobs, some decorative items on the counter surface, and this kid’s play area becomes a sophisticated home entertainment area.

Why Custom Built-Ins?

As you can see in this image, built-in cabinets are the most efficient way to fit storage into narrow spaces—because you don’t even need to leave space for the base trim! Consider built-in wall storage for a hallway or a narrow dining room. We added the decorative side panels here to harmonize with the formal dining room to the right.

OUR SECOND FEATURED PROJECT-New World Home Office, Old World Elegance

Photography by Nicole Larson

Efficient, Compact Office Space Planning

The client needed a handsome and functional home office work environment, easy to clean up and comfortable enough to work in all day. Anne Marie combined all her client’s needs into this efficient space using some tricks:

The room isn’t that big but the ceiling is tall. Running the custom office cabinets to the ceiling with crown molding makes this small home office seem huge.

Enjoying an Orderly Pantry

The pantry is a catch all for so many types of kitchen equipment, serving implements, packaged food and spices, table linens and more. The purpose of a pantry is to be useful additional space—but just like other types of storage, a well-used space sometimes gets messy.
We recommend a seasonal re-organization of the pantry, in the Fall and Spring. Functionally, most of us use different items in the winter and summer. Culturally, we celebrate some different holidays, etc, so your organizational plan can be adapted as needed.
Overall: Select a shelf to start.

Remove all the cans, containers, spices or dishes and linens.

Clean the shelf, and start sorting the dry goods.

Many of us tend to cook versions of the same recipe frequently. One organizational technique is to store the ingredients for your muffins with the tin, or to keep the bread flours and flavorings with your bread-maker or baking sheet.

Structurally: Many user-friendly pantries follow these guidelines.

Tall stuff (vases) and bulky stuff (lobster pots) go up high.

Leave space below the bottom shelf for bulky or heavy items to be stored on the floor, like the recycling bins or pallets of water.

More frequently used appliances, like perhaps the blender or food processor, should be more accessible.

Spice bottles are small, and have tiny lettering; they need to be easy to read and reach for with ease. These should be at eye level. There are great accessories like slide-out spice racks that make this organization much easier.

If space allows, you can include slide-out or swing-out wine racks.

Drawers or baskets at child-height makes the grab and go easier for the little ones, and keeps the teenagers out of your dinner supplies; these can also be a great trick to keep the healthier foods easily accessible—or to keep the indulgent ones out of sight.

It’s so awkward to store platters flat, struggling to get out the one you need from the bottom. The better method is to utilize dividers or custom sized cubbies to allow your plates and serving bowls to stand upright, perfect for easy use.

Seasonally: These tips will make the seasonal switch simpler.

Try to group seasonal items together. Store the seasonal winter table linens, holiday serving items, pretty wine glasses and center-pieces in the same general area. Keep your off-season items in an out of the way place in the pantry.

When it’s time to change the seasonal clothes in the closet, it’s time to do the pantry.

Take the opportunity to examine everything. If something is stained or chipped, now’s the time to deal with it. If it’s beyond dry cleaning or another fix, there’s the opportunity for off season shopping for a replacement. This way, you’ll never be scrambling when company is coming.

Just using a few of these tips will enhance your pantry experience. You’ll be less likely to buy a spice you didn’t know you already had, and it’ll be easier to unpack the supermarket bags. You’ll feel really together when you open your panty door. Perhaps most important of all, an organized pantry will make it simpler to compose an elegant dinner party or to throw together a quick meal with friends.

A Place for Everything

Originally published in HOUSE magazine
By Bonnie Reich,
President and Owner at Symmetry Closets

We want our homes to look beautiful, to impress our friends and to feel comfortable—we want
to feel truly at home. I am a professional designer of small spaces: a professional closet designer.
My goal is to use every inch of usable space and have it function according to my clients’ needs.
After all, no two people are the same and everyone should have a closet that works for her/his
lifestyle.
I recommend so many wonderful and beautiful products and accessories that really make the
closet function at the highest level. I show my clients the latest materials and colors available for
their cabinets. But that’s where my work ends, and the interior designer takes over.
When my clients and I work with an interior designer, the closet really becomes a thrilling space.
Every detail beyond the cabinets is considered at another level. Interior designers bring their
resources and add details that make it sing. Some examples:
* Benches are covered in cushions coordinated with carpeting and window treatments
* Wall paper and interesting paint finishes add layers of texture, making these relatively small
spaces feel incredible
* Additional inlay materials are added to the door panels
* Hand selected handles and knobs are introduced to the design
* Even fun and funky pillows and throw are sometimes added to the design to make it a cozy
hide away that reflects the owner’s personality
Interior designers add other luxuries as well. Planning for an island in the walk-in closet? The
interior designer will bring fun, personal touches and accessories that make that incredible center
island a real stand out.
I have designed, fabricated and installed hundreds of walk-in closets, but the ones that are
memorable have all been as part of a team with an interior designer’s vision leading the way. For
your next interior design project, small or large, hire an interior designer. The result will be
satisfying, function well, and you’ll enjoy beautiful style for many years to come.

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WHY VISITING EXPERTS AT A HOME PRODUCTS SHOWROOM IS A MUST

By Sharon McGovern, Editor of NARI NYC/LI Design & Remodel
Sure it’s great to do your research online before making any large home improvement purchase – in fact most homeowners search the internet to select products. But do you really know the quality, benefits and features of what you’re getting? Our NYC/LI NARI experts want you to know why it’s imperative that you test drive products before making a major purchase for your home.

“For large purchases you want to make sure you’re spending your money wisely, you owe it to yourself to see the range of what’s possible”

“Most customers think they know what they want, and then they see all the options available and change their minds,” said Jason Ashe, National Sales Manager for WindowRama. “We understand the importance of a customer touching and trying out products – windows and doors can be big ticket items in larger renovation projects,” he added. WindowRama offers 40 different brands of windows and doors, so the product selection process can be overwhelming. “Our showrooms are a destination – customers can see windows and doors in a real world atmosphere – similar to rooms in their own home,” Ashe said.

A popular trend in home renovation and design is indoor/ outdoor living. WindowRama’s 6000 square foot superstore in Farmingdale showcases multi-fold patio doors and screens so homeowners can see how these large doors operate. “We want the consumer to be excited about their purchase,” Ashe added. Green Art Plumbing Supply also implements the latest and greatest innovations for the home into their showrooms. Customers can explore possibilities that were merely ideas, until now. Green Art Plumbing Supply’s Huntington Station showroom features exquisite kitchens and baths as functional displays – providing a chance to experience products firsthand before making a decision.

“We put ourselves in our customer’s shoes,” said Stephanie Kurtzman, Marketing Director for Green Art Plumbing Supply. “Instead of buying online, visit a showroom to make sure the products you’re selecting fit your daily lifestyle and the unique look of your home,” she said. Green Art Plumbing Supply offers customers a truly unique showroom experience at their Huntington Station location – come in a bathing suit and try out a steam shower system in person!
Custom closet design is generally an in-home shopping experience, says Bonnie Reich, owner of Symmetry Closets. “We measure, get a customer’s likes and dislikes, and can quickly provide a design and 3-D space plan. But you can’t get the experience of actually seeing materials in person and trying out options, unless you visit our showroom,” she said. “For example, there are all different grades of hardware – sometimes what you see in a picture may not be right for you. You need to engage with the product, and you just can’t replicate that experience.”

Lighting really makes a difference when you’re looking at materials, especially in custom closet and organization design. There’s LED lighting, strip lighting, drawers that light up and motion sensors that light up a space when you open a door. “There are so many lighting choices – cool, warm – unless you visit a showroom, you can’t experience that for yourself,” said Reich.
According to Cambria USA spokesperson Aliki Vrohidis, different lighting can also affect the way you read colors, tones and movement in each of Cambria’s natural quartz countertop designs. “Additionally, our HighGloss and Cambria Matte surface finishes reflect light differently, so it’s important to see them both in person and in the correct lighting to see which you prefer,” she added.
Cambria’s natural quartz design samples are a small select cut from a slab; they do not fully exhibit all the design characteristics of the final installed product. Variations in the natural quartz stone color, pattern, size, shape and shade are unique and inherent characteristics of the product. “Prior to making a purchase, we recommend viewing a full slab of the design’s movement in one of our showrooms or galleries,” Vrohidis said.
Equally important to the experience of the showroom is a great team to work with. “Our incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and dedicated staff provide the best personalized service in the industry,” said Green Art Plumbing Supply’s Stephanie Kurtzman.

For those customers who already have a trade professional to work with, the team at WindowRama offers ‘contractor concierge service.’ “We invite customers to come in and meet with a specialist to select products and build a portfolio of features,” said Jason Ashe. WindowRama’s staff then work with the contractor’s measurements to place the order. Need an installer or financing? WindowRama offers those services as well.
Working with an expert in person can make all the difference says Bonnie Reich of Symmetry Closets. “There are things you don’t even think of – for example, your height makes a difference in designing a closet. Many times we have to modify standard cabinetry to work for your specific needs,” she said. “For large purchases you want to make sure you’re spending your money wisely,” she added, “you owe it to yourself to see the range of what’s possible!”
This article originally appeared in Design & Remodel Magazine

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